The leaves of aloe vera plants enclose a thick inner liquid or gel within fibrous husks. In recent years, aloe vera gel has become popular in many applications for health and beauty aids and this growing commercial importance has resulted in a need for efficient means for extracting the gel from the leaves of aloe vera plants. Nevertheless, the aloe vera crop is still often processed by hand. Difficulties of mechanization are further complicated by the fact that the fibrous husks contain toxic juices that can contaminate the loose gel if the husks are processed by conventional systems. Further, mechanization of the extraction process must emphasize cleanliness with respect to the collected gel and provide for efficient disposal of the husks remaining after extraction.